“Now more than ever people are really looking for something that feels personal and feels human”

KARA is a brand with a human spirit at the core. Founded by Sarah Law as a reactive medium to explore her own personal identity quest, KARA – the name borne from Karaoke which in turn is Japanese for empty orchestra – looked to connect with a global community through self expression and artistic freedom. Formulating her You Be You campaign on this premise, KARA has collaborated with creatives from all over the world, from Fish Zhang in Beijing to Richie Shazam in New York to Masha Reiva in Kiev. 

“I am really trying to show all these different points of view, together”, Sarah Law states, discussing over the phone in her New York apartment the reasoning behind the breadth of talent commissioned for this 4 year photography series. Commissioning creatives from a global network, Sarah has posited her fascination with expressions of identity into her brand and subsequently in the hands of these international artists, asking them to interpret her brand and present it in their own unique way in a series of images. 

“A huge sentiment behind the brand is this aspect of community – I think it is about really trying to find people who sometimes don’t have a massive platform but have amazing work, and trying to feature them. We have commissioned different people to create pieces working from home, which has proven to be a really fun project to connect with people and learn more about them in this time.”

As COVID19 brings through isolation and subsequent yearnings for deeper connection, does KARA think that a sense of vulnerability has befallen humanity in this time?

“I think finally because of COVID19 there is more compassion – people connecting with people to see how they are doing.”

“In a world under such an intense pressure to move forward with the internet getting faster, brands are pushed to produce so much content and so many collections, we are losing sight of people’s humanness. It is interesting as in this time, I am finding people are friendlier right now, as there is this acknowledgement of what we are all going through, something that we are all experiencing.”

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Delving into the four year project KARA You Be You, the breadth of talent collaborated is as wonderful as it is varied. With the initial desire to explore her own experience of being both Chinese and American at the core of the commencement of KARA, Sarah has embarked on a deep dive into our own cultivations of self, how we express ourselves, and what we choose to take from our past to define ourselves in our futures.

As the world comes to learn new ways of communicating, those with authentic voices and unique, purposeful visions will be coming out stronger; putting the creative in the hands of the people means KARA is carrying a refreshing approach through our new navigations of normal life. 

Tags: campaign, Fashion, kara